Apple expected to launch new iPad Pro, Mac upgrades at upcoming event

Apparently ‘There’s more in the making’ for Apple’s fourth special event of 2018.

At least that’s the official tagline that’s being used for Apple’s October 30 event which will be held at the Howard Gilman Opera House in New York City. Invites have already started to trickle through to media (not yours truly, unfortunately).

For those in Australia not lucky enough to nab an invite to the Big Apple, the event will begin on October 31, except if you live in Western Australia, where it will start late on October 30.

Rumours suggest Apple will show off two redesigned iPad Pro models (to complement the base-level iPad announced in March), at least one new MacBook and possibly more overhauls to Mac products, which have been left in the dark for far too long.

Apple has already started handing out cryptic invites for the October 30 event.

According to 9to5Mac, the new iPads are expected to feature the Face ID technology first debuted in the iPhone X and a new screen with a small bezel, no home button and (fingers crossed) no notch. They may also get rid of the Lightning port in favour of a USB-C connection.

Less is known about what will happen with the current Mac lineup. Back in July, the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro received a bevy of new features without any major announcement, including new True Tone displays, better Siri integration and more hardware customisation options.

It is possible that the Mac-related news will centre around the replacement of the MacBook Air with the 12-inch Retina MacBook. The MacBook Air – the favourite laptop of university students everywhere – hasn’t been refreshed in years and it’ll be interesting to see where its future lies.

This goes for the Mac Mini too, which has long been forgotten by Apple – but not by consumers. The device, which is effectively a tiny, portable desktop, adds access to the Mac ecosystem at an affordable price (in terms of Apple products, at least) and an update with modern specs would be warmly welcomed.

The iMac Pro was updated around a year ago, so while I wouldn’t count out any potential upgrades, chances are that Apple won’t have too much to say about it.

Speaking of things Apple won’t talk about, it’ll be interesting to see if there’s any mention of AirPower, the wireless charging system that was teased earlier in the year but not spoken about in September.

Expect to hear more about iOS 12.1 and WatchOS 5.1 too, as well as some more distinct news about the release of the iPhone XR. We may learn more about the company’s streaming service too.